Ryan Blows It Against The Yanks
Posted June 5, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Pinch-hitter Jason Giambi connected for a two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, rallying the New York Yankees to a 9-8 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday.
Giambi’s drive off closer B.J. Ryan into the right-field upper deck — just inside the foul pole — capped New York’s biggest comeback win this season. In erasing a 7-2 deficit, the Yankees overcame another poor outing by Chien-Ming Wang and a key error by centre-fielder Melky Cabrera.
Brought on to protect an 8-6 lead, Ryan (1-2) got two quick outs in the ninth. But Alex Rodriguez singled, moved to second on defensive indifference and scored on Hideki Matsui’s single.
Giambi, who didn’t start because of a sore left foot, batted for Jose Molina and pulled an 0-2 pitch down the right-field line for his fourth career game-winning homer.
“It’s incredible. You dream about this stuff as a kid,” a breathless Giambi said after being mobbed by his teammates at home plate. “He just ended up hanging a slider and I just got the bat head to it.”
Kyle Farnsworth (1-2) earned the win despite allowing a run in the top of the ninth. He wriggled out of a bases-loaded jam, however, when Cabrera redeemed himself a bit by running down Joe Inglett’s deep drive for the third out.
New York handed Toronto its eighth loss in 23 games and took two of three in the series.
Matt Stairs of Fredericton homered and drove in five runs for the Blue Jays, but Ryan blew his second consecutive save chance after going 12-for-12 to start the season.
Toronto took a 7-2 lead and chased Wang with a five-run fifth — after Cabrera dropped Alex Rios’ liner. Cabrera would have had an easy, inning-ending double play if he had caught the ball because Inglett took off running from second base as soon as the ball was hit.
The Yankees chipped away with two runs in the bottom half and two more in the sixth to pull to 7-6.
Blue Jays right-fielder Brad Wilkerson, who came on as a defensive replacement in the seventh, made what at the time appeared to be a game-saving catch to end the eighth.
The Yankees had the potential tying and go-ahead runs on with two outs when Johnny Damon hit a deep drive toward right-centre. Wilkerson jumped to snare the ball before crashing into the wall.
Stairs, who earlier had a two-run homer and two-run single, doubled in a run in the top of the ninth to make it 8-6.
Wang allowed at least five runs for the fourth straight start as his recent wildness persisted. The right-hander gave up seven runs, six earned, on five hits and four walks in 4 1-3 innings. Only 51 of his 90 pitches were strikes.
Posada singled on the first pitch he saw in the second inning. He had been out since April 28 with right rotator cuff tendinitis.
Yankees catcher Jorge Posada went 1-for-3 in his first start since coming off the disabled list.
